Fly Away
by Hawkholly
Summary: Sequel to my story All the Way. When Bowser threatens to change the future, Mario and Luigi must go forward in time to stop him. But will a surprising change of events halt them in their tracks? Rated T for violence that will definitely occur later on. *NOTE* This will be MUCH darker than All the Way, including a death.
1. Just Chillaxin

**Fly Away**

**Prologue**

Just Chillaxin

**YES YES YES A SEQUEL! :D**

**I am Hawkholly (as you all know) and if you did not read the summary, shame on you. Go read it.**

**This is a sequel to my story "All the Way", and if you have not read that, I highly suggest you do so. This will be almost IMPOSSIBLE to understand.**

**So I almost got 100 reviews last story, and I'm aiming for that! :D I'll be happy if I only get ten or something, but still…**

**So I'm just gonna start this now! XD**

* * *

"Mario…"

A man in red was lying on top of the roof of his Toad house, snoring. A man in green was looking for him. "Mario!" he called again.

Mario snored.

The man in green heard and sighed. "Mario, how many times do I have to tell you to STOP NAPPING ON THE ROOF? IT'S NOT GONNA MAKE YOU A GOOD DANCER! Geez! Those magazines have so much crap in them! I can't believe Mario falls for it!"

Mario snored again.

The man grinned. "MARIO, PEACH SENT YOU A CAKE!"

Instantly the man in red was by his side. "Luigi, where is it?"

"The cake is a lie." Luigi smirked and started laughing. Mario rolled his eyes. "Ha ha, very funny!"

Suddenly a young Toad with a blue mushroom with white spots ran up. He was holding a huge white box, and his glasses looked a bit foggy. "Special delivery for Mario!"

"Hiya, Toadbert," Luigi greeted. "How's your sister? Has she recovered fully?"

"Oh, Toadiko's fine!" he replied. His sister had been turned into a purple mushroom when he, she, and Princess Peach had gone back in time. Toadbert had lost his memory, and Peach had gotten herself kidnapped—DUR HUR HUR. "She's just a bit shocked, is all."

Mario nodded in satisfaction and took the box. He gasped as he looked inside it. "IT'S A CAKE!"

"It is?" Luigi and Toadbert demanded in unison.

"Nah. The cake's a lie, remember?"

Luigi rolled his eyes. "Seriously, what is it?"

Mario took out two slips of official-looking paper. "It's an invitation to a party tonight. Don't worry, you got one too!"

The man in green nodded. "Great! Does it have a guest list on it?"

"Huh, it does! I'll tell you who got invited: me, you, Toadbert, Toadiko, Toadsworth, E. Gadd, Princess Daisy, and…huh, that's it."

"Candy would be jealous," Luigi teased. Silence filled the air after that. They would never forget Mario and Luigi's energetic great-great-great grandmother who had gone to the Real World; nor would they ever forget her mother, who had been possessed by greed and was prepared to make her adopted daughter miserable in order to be famous and make money. In the end, they had made up, and Candy's mother, Violet, had been crowned the first Queen of the Mushroom Kingdom.

"Probably," Toadbert agreed. "When's the party start?"

Mario inspected the invitations. "Tonight at ten sharp. What time is it now?"

"Around three-ish," Toadbert said, looking at his watch. "Well, I'm off to get a suit!" He darted off.

Mario looked down. "Wait, it says to wear casual attire—" He sighed as Toadbert was out of sight.

Luigi grinned at Mario. "Are you a better dancer yet?"

"You betcha! You think these magazines are full of crap, but THEY'RE NOT!"

So they went inside and had a Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix competition.

* * *

By nine thirty, Mario was passed out on the floor. Luigi was looking good and hadn't even broken a sweat. "Mario, get up!"

Mario sat up, his face bright red. "J-Just chillaxin," he said casually. "You need me?"

"We're gonna be late to the party!"

Mario's eyes widened. "Darn it, you're right!" He raced out the door, Luigi close behind him.

* * *

They arrived five minutes late to see that everyone was at the table, looking bored as an old Toad told them a story.

"…And so then I said, 'Have at you, old bean!' and whacked young Bowser with my cane, and he ran off!" he said proudly.

A blonde girl was snoring. A brown-haired girl sitting next to her nudged her. "PEACH!" she hissed. "They're here!"

"Huh?" Princess Peach shot up. "Oh, Mario! Luigi! Please sit down!"

Mario sat next to Peach, and Luigi shyly sat next to the brown haired girl. "Hi, Daisy."

An old man sitting next to Toadsworth gave a creepy laugh. "Hiya, boys! Luigi, do you still have the Poltergust 3000?"

"Yes, Professor E. Gadd," Luigi said, smiling a little.

"So," Princess Peach said, standing up, "I have an announcement for everyone. Elvin, would you like to tell them, or shall I?"

E. Gadd looked at her.

"…Okay…WE'RE TRAVELING IN TIME AGAIN!"

Everyone stared at her. _Grambi__, you're an idiot, _Luigi thought.

"Third time's the charm, right? Plus, we're going thirty years into the FUTURE! Who doesn't wanna see the future?"

Everyone still kept staring.

"Okay, so…Daisy has already agreed to come with us. Toadbert, Toadiko, would you come?"

Toadiko gave a bounce of excitement. "YES YES YES!"

Toadbert looked skeptical. "I'll come…but only to protect my sister."

"Great!" Peach beamed. "Mario, Luigi? Would you like to come?"

"Sure," Mario answered, but Luigi shook his head. "Uh-uh! No way! Never going to—"

"Please, Weegee?" Daisy smiled at him.

"…O-Okay."

Peach smirked slightly. "Great! Now, if you'll follow me…" She exited the room. The people and mushrooms going back in time raced after her.

Toadsworth turned to E. Gadd. "It appears we have been ditched."

"Yes, it appears so."

"…Let me tell you about the time I single-handedly fixed my VCR…"

E. Gadd groaned.

* * *

**Awwwww poor Elvin XD**

**I'm sorry it was short! :( don't kill me!**

**This will be updated whenever I feel like it. :)**

**Please review by clicking that little blue button! See it? But please no flames; I will accept constructive criticism but no flames.**


	2. THIS IS NOT AN AIRPORT PEOPLE!

**Chapter One**

THIS IS NOT AN AIRPORT PEOPLE!

**Haha, just look at the title…**

**Anyway, I'm surprised I got as many reviews as I did! Lol**

**Silver the 13****th****—Yep! It IS fun poor E Gadd has to listen about how Toadsworth fixed his VCR! I told my mom that story…lol *hugs Fawful plushie***

**ImSpidey2—yay! :D I wouldn't call it a masterpiece, but thank you!**

**Zora Princess—yay, and I can't either! :D Eh, it's okay. I was just upset because my mom questioned me about it.**

**Marshmallow452—O.O I'M RICH IN FAKE DOLLARS! WOOHOO! Hey, you could use that in "What's the Fourth Wall?" Have me be an honoured guest and you give me fake dollars? Pwease? *puppy dog eyes***

**Luigisgirlfriend—yay, I'm updating now! And thank you :D**

**Lemmy Koopa is Awesome—yep, maybe! And you'll have to wait no longer! And notice that I put family as a genre…mwahaha**

**So now that that's over with…TO THE STORY!**

**Oh, disclaimer!**

**I do not own any Mario characters or places though I **_**do **_**wish I owned Fawful. However, I **_**do **_**own Candy, Violet, and any other OC's you may see in this story.**

* * *

Peach guided her friends inside a room with two time machines. "Okay, Mario, Luigi, and myself will take this machine, and Daisy, you and the Toads will go in that one."

"NOT SO FAST!" A green bean ran in. "Fawful must search you first!"

Peach stared. "Fawful? Since when were you GOOD?"

"…Does it matter? No! It is like asking if you want salt or not on your pretzel! It does not matter! Do not have the worries! Now, Fawful must ask you to make a single file line."

They sighed and did so.

Fawful tapped Toadbert. "Fawful is feeling something on your face! It is smooth like a lollipop!"

"It's…um, my glasses."

"Oh. Well, you are _clear_ to go! Hehe! Fawful has chortles at my delightful joke!"

Everyone stared. "Are we _seriously _doing this?" Luigi mumbled. "THIS IS NOT AN AIRPORT PEOPLE!"

Next came Toadiko. She was cleared. Then Princess Peach stepped up, her blue eyes narrowing. "Fawful…I know how to freak you out. CACKLETTA'S NEVER COMING BACK!"

He screamed in terror. "Y-YES SHE IS! You horrible person! Fawful will give you MUSTARD OF DOOM!"

Peach sighed and walked forward. "You don't even _sound _like Fawful."

"Well, Fawful has the coldness." The green bean sneezed.

Daisy walked forward. The bean inspected her. "…You are very beautiful. FAWFUL HAS JOY!"

"Oh, heck no." She walked forward and kicked him in the face, knocking him out. "C'mon, before he wakes up!"

They ran into their time machines, and they began to rise. "CRAP!" Daisy screamed. "I FORGOT MY PURSE! IT HAS ALL OUR MONEY AND CLOTHES!"

Then they vanished.

* * *

They landed right behind Peach's Castle.

Both doors flung open in excitement, and Mario ran forward.

The future…it was…

Oh, it was…

The same.

The EXACT SAME.

Well, except for the sky homes and flying cars. But other than that, it was the same.

Everyone sighed with disappointment. "Well, this sucks," Daisy said. "Now, let's go—"

Suddenly a huge fireball destroyed the time machines. They stared in terror. "…back," she finished.

More fireballs came down, burning the future Mushroom Kingdom. Two old men and two old ladies looking oddly like Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Daisy were hobbling out of the castle in terror on canes. "I thought Bowser and I signed that treaty stating we were too old to do this crap anymore!" future Mario complained.

The Bowser airship flew down, and the Bowser of the present flew down. "Hey, future Mario! Miss me?" He smirked. "Now I can get revenge after all these years! No one can save you now!" He swooped down and swiftly tied them all up. He tossed them inside his airship and flew off.

The six time travelers looked on in terror. "He just kidnapped our future selves!" Peach stated obviously.

"DUR HUR HUR!" Luigi snapped. "We gotta go inside the castle and search for survivors!"

"Split up!" Mario ordered. "Two on each floor!" There were three floors in total. "Luigi and I will take the top floor! Toadbert and Toadiko, take the second! Peach and Daisy, stay on this floor so you can evacuate if you need to!"

Everyone went as they were told. Mario and Luigi split up on the third floor, Mario going left and Luigi going right.

Mario suddenly heard a small girl struggling. "Hello?" she called out. "Please, someone help me!"

Mario ran to that direction and stared in shock. A small nine-year-old girl was stuck under a huge pillar, trying to pull her way out. She was wearing a turquoise dress that was now ripped, and her long black hair was messy. She looked up and immediately went limp. "D-Daddy! Help me!"

Mario felt like the world dropped underneath him.

"Wait…Daddy, you look younger! Ugh, I really don't care right now! Just, please help me!"

Mario gulped.

* * *

**MARIO HAS A DAUGHTER! DUN DUN DUNNNNNN!**

**Haha, I've always imagined him having a daughter. Don't know why…**

**Please review, peoples, in that little box below! And if you are reading this author note, type in your review: THIS IS NOT AN AIRPORT PEOPLE!**


	3. Crystal, Sakura, and Kaya

**Chapter 2**

Crystal, Sakura, and Kaya

**Hello everyone! As I am typing this I am listening to The Legend of Zelda 25****th**** Anniversary Medley from **_**The Legend of Zelda: 25**__**th**__** Anniversary Soundtrack. **_**It is seriously a beautiful song; it makes me sad, though, so if this chapter is sad, now you know why.**

**So thanks to those who reviewed!**

**Marshmallow452—no it is not XD Yep, Peach be the mom! And I'll reward you by using your idea! :D You can use the fake dollars thing if you want to, plus after I get it I can torment Bowser by telling him I'm rich with fake dollars!**

**Silver the 13****th****—Yep! Yep! Yep again! And no it is not XD O.O HOW DID THAT PERSON GET IN HERE?**

**Blossom the Cellist—Yep, I did too! :D That question will be answered later, and thank you!**

**Zora Princess—Nope, I actually got that from you. XD sorry. Yep, you're fixing to find out! And thank you!**

**Lemmy Koopa is Awesome—Yep!**

**ImSpidey2—No it is not XD And thank you! You're not annoying, I just don't have much time to read fanfics these days. I'll try to read yours soon. :)**

**Elemental Queen—Yeah, he's awesome XD I don't know why I imagine he has a daughter either, but I think there should be another princess. :)**

**So let's get on with the story!**

* * *

Mario's muscles were just not working.

"Daddy? Daddy!" the little girl wailed. "It's me, Crystal! Help me!" She tried even more frantically to free herself.

Luigi suddenly ran in. "Mario! I thought I heard someth—" He stared at Crystal.

She yelped. "Uncle Luigi, thank goodness! My father's being ridiculous! Tell him to save me like he used to do my mother."

Mario ran forward, finally remembering how to breathe. "Uncle Luigi! Come save our dearest Crystal!"

The man in green rolled his eyes and helped Mario roll off the pillar. In seconds, it was off. Crystal ran to Mario and hugged him. "Oh, Daddy! It was terrible! There was this loud roar, and then I felt something heavy on my legs and I couldn't move! I yelled for help, but no one came!"

Mario awkwardly hugged her back. "Um…it's okay."

Crystal looked up at him, her brown eyes wide and scared. "Wait, you're not my father!"

"I am!" Mario said quickly, not wanting her to get any more panicked then she already was. If anything, she needed to calm down. "My name's Mario. I'm from the present."

"But isn't _this _the present?"

Mario mentally facepalmed. Luigi came to the rescue: "What my dear, confused, sweet brother means is that we are from your past, or our present."

She blinked. "You mean…you're from the past? Or, more likely, you think you've come into the future, which is my present?"

"Yep!"

"…"

"Mario!" Princess Peach's shrill voice bounced up to them. "The four of us haven't found anyone! What about you?"

The brothers went to Crystal's either side and helped her down the stairs. Peach gasped. "My God, you've found a child! What was she doing in the castle—wait a moment…"

"She's our daughter in the future," Mario explained.

Everyone stared at Crystal in shock. The nine-year-old rolled her eyes. "Look, everyone knows you two love each other! It was gonna happen sometime!"

Mario and Peach blushed.

"Can we go?" the future princess demanded. "Please! I wanna check on my best friend."

"Who is…?" Luigi started, but she had already run off. The others had no choice but to follow her.

* * *

Crystal ran up to a Toad house and pounded on the door. "SAKURA! Are you okay?"

A young girl's voice answered, "I'm okay, I'm just trapped by the overturned couches and the door's locked so you can't get in!"

The Toads sighed wearily, but Crystal kicked down the door and ran inside, the others, all but Mario, following her. There, underneath a couch, a wheelchair was trapped underneath it and a brown-haired girl with glasses was staring at them from where she lay on the floor. "Okay, so _you _can get in," Sakura teased.

Crystal lifted the upturned couch and steadied the wheelchair. Then she helped her friend into it. "My God, Sakura! Are you okay?"

Sakura nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." She noticed Luigi and the others. "…Whoa! WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM?"

Daisy stepped in and quickly explained. Sakura nodded. "I believe you. But only because Crystal believes you."

"Are Kaya and Aaron okay?" asked Crystal.

Sakura shrugged. "I'm not sure. They ran."

"HOLD THE PHONE!" Toadiko shouted, stepping forward. Crystal shot her an odd look, then reached for the phone. Toadiko sighed and facepalmed. "…"

Crystal quickly realized what she meant and put down the phone. "…Heh, sorry."

Toadiko cleared her throat. "Who are those people?"

"Oh." Sakura wheeled herself forward. "Aaron and Kaya are Daisy and Luigi's twins who don't enjoy living in the castle. So I let them live with me."

"Just you?"

"Yeah. My parents…" She trailed off. "…Yeah, anyway, they get to live here as long as they help me and stuff."

"Why're you in a wheelchair?"

"TOADIKO!" Toadbert screamed, wanting to kill her. Sakura smiled slightly. "No, it's okay. I'm paralyzed from the waist down. It's not all bad; people get to do stuff for me that I could do myself but I'm feeling too lazy to do. I could still use my bow and arrow if I wanted to, and I'm pretty good with a sword."

"Sweet." Crystal grinned.

Mario suddenly walked in. "I managed to land a tracking device on Bowser's airship. I had to climb the roof, but I managed to hit it—must've been from all those years playing baseball and tennis."

"Cool!" Sakura rolled over to him as he brought out a device from his pocket. "Where is it now?"

"Right now it's hovering over Dimble Wood…"

* * *

Bowser roared at the elderly Bros. and their wives, who were tied up. "Where is it? You know exactly where it is! Tell me! Now!"

"Never!" elderly Mario wheezed.

Suddenly another frail Bowser came out, but he looked WAY different. He was dressed in all black, had extra-long claws, and had an electronic eye patch on. "You tell him right now!" he squeaked, but he didn't sound that threatening.

Elderly Luigi sighed. "Bowser 6.7! We're too old for this, and so are you!"

"Tell that to HIM," Bowser 6.7 snarled, looking at Bowser.

A short girl with long black hair streaked with red suddenly entered. "My lord Bowser, the Mushroom Kingdom should be in ruins quickly."

"Ah, excellent, Kaya."

Daisy's eyes widened. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, hello, Mother." Kaya's brown eyes looked straight into Daisy's blue ones. "Aaron and I are to get good pay; don't worry."

Peach's eyes narrowed. "Is Crystal here?"

"Nope. That darn coward is probably trapped in the castle right now, waiting death."

Bowser 6.7 began to cackle, only to break off into a hacking fit. "Any other news?"

"Aaron found a tracking device. He threw it off into Dimble Wood."

"Great!" Bowser sounded delighted. "Have you found any information about the treasure?"

"No, my lord. No clues of the symbol at all."

He growled. "Except for that tidbit, you've done well. You and Aaron go get some sleep now."

"Yes, my lord. Thank you, my lord." Kaya disappeared.

Bowser 6.7 hobbled out of the room after her. The younger Bowser looked at the four elders. "If you decide to talk," he said, exiting the room and flicking off the light, "we'll be back in about a week. Hope you survive till then." He shut the door and locked it, leaving Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Daisy in the dark.

* * *

**So I hope you enjoyed! :D**

**And review! But no flaming! I will accept constructive criticism!**


	4. EVIL PLOT! OMG!

**Chapter 3**

EVIL PLOT! OMG!

**EVIL PLOT! OMG!**

**O.O**

**Anyway…thanks to those who reviewed!**

**Guest—um…thank you! Lol even though I have no idea who you are…**

**Lemmy Koopa is Awesome—yup!**

**Zora Princess—XD, well you are a genius when it comes to that. I can believe it! XD And I'm anticipating it too, it's so much fun to write. :)**

**Silver the 13****th****—Yup! It is confusing…**

**Blossom the Cellist—VERY BAD TWINS! Thanks! And byeeeeeee! XD When are you going to update Super Random Mario? Just curious…and YOU WERE EVIL TO MEH OC! :(**

**Guest—O.o another one…XD jk. Yep, it's a heartbreak!**

**Marshmallow452—yay! XD And thank you! It's okay…I like short reviews lol**

**ImSpidey2—No he does not. XD**

**So let's get on with the chapter! :)**

* * *

"KAYA!"

Kaya stormed onto the outside platform. "AARON, WHAT IS SO FREAKING IMPORTANT!"

A black-haired boy with blue eyes was looking out. He turned towards her. He was five foot nine, very tall for his age—and he wasn't done growing. "I thought I saw the symbol."

"Really?" Her brown eyes sparked with curiosity.

"Yeah…I thought I saw it down by Bubble Lake."

"What did it look like?"

He snorted. "Like I'm telling you, lil' sis." Kaya was four foot eight, short for her age, and she was almost done growing.

Kaya kicked him in the shin. "TELL ME!"

"Lord Bowser told me not to tell," Aaron groaned, wincing in pain. "He thinks you're not loyal."

"How dare he? Of course I'm loyal! If I weren't loyal would I not have bombed Toad Town?"

"Tell that to him…I'm just following orders." His eyes softened for a moment. "I hope Sakura made it out…"

"Oh, and I'M not loyal." Kaya rolled her eyes. "Did you really care for her?"

"I…no. Of course not."

"Good. Where exactly was the symbol at in Bubble Lake?"

"On the Tower of Yikk. Lord Bowser knows, and we're headed there now. The heroes will be going in the complete wrong direction!"

Kaya laughed. "Excellent."

Bowser 6.7 hobbled out. "Aaron? You didn't tell her, did you?" he croaked.

"No, sir."

"Good," the elder Bowser wheezed. "Ugh, I'm too old for this…anyway, the heroes are actually our prisoners of the past."

"Wait…" Kaya's eyes widened. "You mean…there's a _young _Mario on the way to come and defeat us to rescue the _old _Mario?"

He nodded. "Yes…and he is a threat. The younger Bowser has ordered us to move towards the group of heroes and capture Mario before he can do anything."

Kaya and Aaron nodded. "We're on it. As soon as you give us the word, we'll tie this Mario fellow up and he'll wish he'd never come!"

* * *

**Very short chapter, I know…but it's because my cousin from a different state is flying in for a whole week, so I won't get to update!**

**We're also going on vacation somewhere with her…not saying where or you might guess where I live like a creepy person :)**

**So REVIEW! And sorry about the short chapter!**


	5. We Go Back, Mario! Back to Dimble Woods!

**Chapter 4**

We Go Back, Mario! Back to Dimble Woods!

**If you caught the title reference, I APPLAUD YOU. YOU=MY BFF.**

**But if you didn't, it's okay, I still like you. Just not as much. (jk)**

**Seriously, though, if you tell me what the title is referencing, imma give you a cookie cake. OM NOM NOM. *noms cookie cake***

**Is it just me or does the bold print look…**_**really **_**weird? XD**

**Excuse me for my randomness; it is currently seven in the morning while I am typing this and I woke up at four and couldn't go back to sleep so, um, yeah…**

**Sorry for not updating! But I have an excuse; I was working on my story Dear FFN! If you haven't looked/reviewed at it *looks directly at ImSpidey2, Marshmallow452, Elemental Queen, and Lemmy Koopa is Awesome* DO IT. NOW.**

**XD jk, you don't have to if you don't want to.**

**This is going to be the first time that I don't respond to reviews because, well, I'm tired…**

**So I'm sorry! I still want someone to tell me the reference!**

* * *

"I'm just asking, why are you taking me with you?"

The brothers, the princesses, the Toads, and the two young girls had already made it to Plack Beach, surprisingly. Sakura was now questioning the brothers. "I mean, I'm _paralyzed. _I can't do _anything!"_

"We couldn't leave you there," Luigi pointed out. "I'm sure you'll find a way to be useful. Like, are you good at archery?"

"No."

"Using a sword?"

"No."

"Juggling?"

"That doesn't even make sense!"

"Well, I'm just trying to help."

Peach glared at him. "Hey, um, maybe you're good at…"

"Upper body strength," Daisy said quickly. "So that if you have to do something without your legs, you can rely entirely on the upper part of your body."

Sakura nodded, interested. "I have noticed that when I was forced to take P.E. because the doctor wouldn't give me a stupid note, I was able to do more pull-ups than anyone."

Crystal cheered. "Yay! You're good at doing pull-ups!"

Sakura sighed. "…Yeah, I guess."

"How did you know that?" Toadbert asked Daisy curiously, pulling out his clipboard. "I wouldn't have guessed that."

"Oh, my cousin was paralyzed from the waist down," Daisy explained. "I had to help him through it. Sadly, though, he died—but not from that! He died from cancer."

"Ah." Toadbert scribbled on his notepad.

"Guys, come on!" Toadiko skipped ahead of them all, excited. Plack Beach had not changed much; it was actually quite dull.

Mario smiled, amused. "We're coming, Toadiko!"

Crystal looked overjoyed. "Wow, this is so awesome! Going all over the Mushroom Kingdom to save everyone!"

Mario's grin faded. "It's not that awesome; everyone will be depending on you. The fate of the world—"

"Lies on your shoulders?" Crystal guessed. "Yes, I—"

"Well, it's the queen!" a voice wheezed. "What an honour to meet you at last, m'lady."

The group turned around in surprise. A withered blue Koopa knelt down at Princess Peach's feet; Mario wasn't sure if he could stand up.

Apparently Peach didn't know either; she helped him up. "Hello, Kuzzle," she greeted, pleased at being called queen. "Is everything alright here?"

He nodded. "Yes, ma'am, everything is. Plenty of food and water."

"Wow!" Crystal stepped forward. "You're Kuzzle! Uncle Luigi's told me a _lot _about you!"

Kuzzle looked at her. "…Is that you, young princess? My eyesight ain't so good, y'see."

"Yes, I'm Crystal!" The nine-year-old was exhilarated.

Kuzzle whistled. "Never thought this old Koopa would live to see two generations of princesses pass."

"Neither did I," Toadiko muttered. Toadbert kicked her in the shin. "Excuse my sister," he apologized. "She's an idiot."

"Hey!"

Sakura laughed. "Hello, Kuzzle."

He looked at her. "My, my, Sakura! Last time I saw you was seven years ago, when you were only two! I'm surprised you remember me."

"Who could forget you?" she pointed out.

Kuzzle smiled. "Would you like to come inside and do a puzzle with me?"

Mario was about to politely decline when Crystal squealed, "Yes! I love puzzles!"

Mario frowned at her. _We'll talk about that later, _he decided, having no choice but to follow Kuzzle inside, along with the others.

Inside, Kuzzle prepared the table and got out a puzzle box—one hundred pieces, so it shouldn't have taken too long.

They all pulled up a chair (except for Sakura, of course) and sat down at the table. Then Mario heard a muffled sound. He looked up, bewildered, to see that the real Kuzzle was tied to the slow-revolving ceiling fan. He gulped.

"Now…who's ready to do a puzzle?" the fake Kuzzle asked darkly.

* * *

Bowser (who will now be called Bowser the Younger to not be confused with the other Bowser) and Bowser 6.7 were discussing carefully, making sure no one was listening.

"Do you think our minion will fool the Brothers?" Bowser the Younger asked.

Bowser 6.7 nodded. "Yes," he wheezed. "Completely sure. And then Mario and co. will be trapped, just as we planned, and it will be easy to snatch the one we want! …Which is Mario, correct?"

"Yup, I believe so." Bowser the Younger nodded. "He's the strongest, and everyone relies on him."

"Do you think we should feed our prisoners?"

"No!" the younger snarled. "They'll talk when they're half starved."

"They would rather die," Bowser 6.7 argued. "And what good would dead prisoners be? We would never find the symbol."

Suddenly Kaya poked her head in. "My lords, Aaron and I have located the symbol—it's beside the Tower of Yikk."

"Oh, really?" Bowser the Younger smirked at his older self. "Good work, Kaya. Are we there?"

"Yes, my lord. We approach it; we will, of course, let you do the honours."

They soon landed beside the Tower of Yikk. Sure enough, a tiny symbol no bigger than a thumb was on the side of it: a tiny heart.

Bowser the Younger laughed evilly and pressed the heart. The wall began to slowly slide open, and fog shrouded it, making it even more dramatic.

Finally the fog went away, and inside the huge space…was…

Was…

…

…

….

...

...

...

...

...

Oh yeah! Inside the huge space was…

A book.

Bowser the Younger stared.

Kaya burst into laughter. "HA! YOU SHOULD SEE YOUR FACE!"

He snarled at her, "If you value your life, shut your mouth."

She immediately stopped, but still had a huge grin on her face.

Bowser the Younger picked it up. "Hey…there's only one page!" He flipped it open.

It said: "Only the cherry blossoms can see our sanctuary."

* * *

**OOOH! I LEFT YOU WITH TWO CLIFFHANGERS! I FEEL AWESOME!**

**XD now…I'm having a contest! Basically you have to answer these three questions about Mario; whoever gets the most right will get their OC into my story!**

**Rules:**

**OC can be either a boy or a girl. I need a full description of them (example: Hair colour, eye colour, personality, etc.) If you do not tell me whether the OC is good or evil, I will choose for you.**

**Okay, so for the questions!**

**True or false: Mario has been a villain before.**

**What was Mario's original name?**

**True or false: Mario has **_**always **_**been a plumber.**

**Don't forget, whoever gets the most right wins! NO USING GOOGLE. OR BING. OR YAHOO. Or anything like that!**

**If for some reason there is a tie, the reviewer who reviewed first will win.**

**P.S. You totally don't have to enter if you don't want to! This is optional.**


	6. That's Jack

**Chapter 5**

That's Jack

**You were **_**not **_**expecting me to update that soon! ^^ I **_**do **_**have the winner of the contest!**

**Everyone that reviewed got **_**all **_**of the questions right. I mean seriously, everyone that reviewed got all three questions **_**right! **_**Which means it was a tiebreaker, so the person that reviewed first with their answers was…**

**IMSPIDEY2! Congrats, dude! Lol are you submitting an OC? If so, PM me (or tell me in a review) the description and they will definitely be in the next chapter. If not, then PM me (or tell me in a review) saying that you're not, and I can use someone else's OC (probably Blossom's, because she reviewed next).**

**Okay, so I'm not going to respond to reviews again, but that's only because…well, I have no response. They were mostly answers. XD**

**BUT…**

**ZORA PRINCESS TOLD ME THE REFERENCE! SO SHE GETS A COOKIE CAKE! *gives cake***

**Disclaimer: I do not own Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Princess Daisy, Kuzzle, Bowser, Toadbert, or Toadiko, but I DO own the plot and Crystal, Sakura, the elders, Bowser 6.7, Fake Kuzzle, Jack, and Aaron. Kaya belongs to Silver the 13****th****.**

* * *

Crystal grinned. "Me! Let's do it, Kuzzle!"

Mario suddenly tackled the fake Kuzzle and sent him to the ground.

"Mario?" Luigi sounded extremely confused.

"Look up!" was all that Mario had time to yell before the fake Kuzzle had regained his strength. The fake shoved Mario through the window, and the astounded plumber fell into the ocean. Mario was dazed for a moment; then he began to swim upward, not at all afraid.

Then a huge tentacle that could only belong to a huge Blooper closed around him and began to squeeze. Mario gasped and tried to pull away, but the Blooper squeezed harder. He felt air slipping away, and the sea, which had been quite noisy, had gotten quiet. The surface seemed so far away…

Mario went limp. Voices began whispering his ears, telling him to give up. Mario closed his eyes just as the Blooper lost its grip. He felt himself being pulled to the surface, and finally onto the sand. But by then he'd forgotten how to breathe. He lost consciousness, light engulfing his vision. He heard the most beautiful sound in the world: singing.

* * *

Luigi looked up with surprise to see another Kuzzle strapped to the ceiling fan. He turned to ask his brother what was going on, only to be filled with rage as the fake Kuzzle pushed Mario out the window. Then man in red fell into the ocean.

Crystal screamed. "Daddy!"

"He'll be fine," Luigi promised, not worried. "Mario's a good swimmer."

Peach grabbed Sakura and Crystal, leading them both behind the couch. "Stay here—this could be bad."

"Okay." Crystal looked scared to death. "I would fight, of course, but who would watch Sakura?"

"Save it!" Daisy snapped, turning on the fake Kuzzle. "You did _not _just push my best friend in the ocean!" She had grown to really like Mario since he'd saved her from Tatanga and was secretly just a bit in love with him, but no more than Luigi. She would always love the green plumber the best.

The fake Kuzzle smirked. "I just did."

Toadbert squeaked and joined the young girls behind the couch.

Peach and Daisy cornered the fake. Luigi was speculating on how to get the real Kuzzle down.

Suddenly Toadiko yelled, "Luigi, jump!" She was running towards him, and Luigi knew what she wanted him to do. She leapt onto his shoulders, and in that split second Luigi performed a super jump. Toadiko slammed the ceiling fan downwards, and it crashed to the floor. Luigi landed and helped her off of his shoulders.

Toadbert goggled. "Toadiko, you're a genius!" he stated bluntly.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious." She giggled.

The fake Kuzzle chuckled. "I would _love _to stay and chat, but I gotta go." He snapped his fingers and disappeared.

Crystal and Toadbert ran over to them, while Sakura rolled herself. Crystal snapped her fingers, then scowled with frustration. "Why can't I do that?"

Luigi glared at her. "We'll discuss this little detour later. For now we've gotta check on the _real _Kuzzle."

Daisy automatically ran to the old Koopa, who was crawling out of the debris. "Are you all right, Kuzzle?"

He nodded. "Despite being strapped to a ceiling fan and feeling like my shell's broken, I feel great."

"Good." Luigi helped him up. "Why do you think the fake put you there?"

"I'm a sage," said Kuzzle. "The fake me was a minion of Bowser's—the name slips my old mind. Bowser probably thought I knew where the symbol was, which I don't."

"Hang on." Peach looked at him suspiciously. "What symbol?"

"You haven't heard of it? Only _one person _can see it. What lies behind it is a secret, but it is rumoured an all-powerful weapon; whoever finds this treasure will determine the fate of the Mushroom Kingdom. It was sealed somewhere close by five years ago; yet it is rumoured to be ancient, at least two or three hundred years old. How is that possible…?"

"So _that's _why Bowser came to the future," Luigi muttered. "But how did he know that there was even a treasure? Who's the person that can see the symbol? What _is _the symbol?"

"No one knows. I did record the only clue to the person who can see the symbol in a book, but I sealed it behind a different symbol—a heart no bigger than your thumb. I can faintly recall what is says: 'Only the cherry blossoms can see the symbol,'" Kuzzle confirmed.

"So we have to find the cherry blossoms," Sakura decided. "But we have no idea where he or she is."

"Correct!" Kuzzle exclaimed.

Suddenly they heard a young boy's voice: "God, come on, Mario! BREATHE!"

Luigi froze. "…Oh my God…Kuzzle, we have to go NOW. Thank you for your help." He ran out, the others close behind.

They ended up at the beach shore, and a black-haired boy who appeared to be ten years old was bent over a unconscious figure—Mario.

Peach screamed. "NO!"

They raced over to the boy, who was pumping Mario's chest frantically. Water was spilling from the plumber's mouth, but he didn't stir. He didn't appear to be breathing.

Peach and Daisy burst into tears. Luigi and the others stood terrified, paralyzed in grief.

The boy looked up at them. "He's alive, my queen, but barely—he was nearly drowned by a huge Blooper. My name is Jack, by the way."

"Well…Jack," Princess Peach whispered, "thank you so much for saving his life."

Mario suddenly coughed and sat up woozily. "Ugh…what happened?"

"MARIO!" Peach and the others automatically began hugging him and such.

Finally Luigi helped Mario up and explained. Mario turned to Jack. "Thank you."

Jack looked a bit embarrassed. "Oh, it was nothing."

Suddenly a loud roar sounded. The group looked up to see Bowser's airship. "Great, _now _what?" Daisy complained.

A rope suddenly shot down from all of those miles above. Luigi knew exactly who it was aiming for and realized that this had been planned. All of it, even Mario's near-drowning. That was actually an essential part of it; he would be an easy target, and the war for the fate of the future would have already been lost when Mario would be captured. _Bowser, you think you've won, _Luigi thought. _Not if I can help it!_

Luigi leapt and pushed Mario out of the way just in time. The man in green yelped as the rope snatched his ankle and yanked him skyward. "LUIGI!" Daisy screamed, but he was helpless. The ground was soon dizzyingly far away, and he sank to his knees with relief as he was pulled onto solid ground.

He looked up to see two children, both looking extremely frightened. One was a short teenage girl with brown hair streaked red; the other was obviously her older brother, also having brown hair.

"Aaron, you idiot!" the girl whispered. "You pulled in the wrong one!"

"It wasn't my fault, Kaya!" the older brother argued. "Chill out."

"Gosh, Bowser's going to kill us!" Kaya sounded extremely upset.

Then Bowser the Younger entered. He stared at Luigi, who was still dazed.

"M-My l-lord," Kaya stammered, "I'm s-so s-sorry—"

"Why?" The younger Bowser sounded delighted. "Heck, this is even BETTER than capturing Mario! Now we can hold Luigi for ransom until Mario surrenders! And if he doesn't Luigi will die!"

Luigi gaped.

Bowser turned to Aaron. "Take him to…the room."

Aaron nodded and shoved Luigi towards a random room. "Enjoy, loser."

Luigi was pushed inside the pitch black room. Aaron poked his head in. "Oh, by the way—this room knows your worst fears. Good luck—you'll need it." He shut the door, leaving Luigi in the dark.

For a while, nothing happened. Then Boos, tons of them, appeared and surrounded poor Luigi. He screamed and cowered. _Mario, help me!_

* * *

**MWAHAHA I'M SO EVIL!**

**This is the longest chapter I've written yet. XD**

**Aaaaaaaanyway…**

**Um…**

**OOH! If you want to know who the "cherry blossoms" is, go on Google Translate and searh different languages until you find it. NOTE: This is a huge major spoiler for Fly Away. DO NOT post the person in the reviews if you choose to cheat. You will have to choose to read this phonetically or something like that; not sure how it's spelled.**

**AND TAKE MY POLL! For those who are anonymous, I'll tell you the poll and the choices.**

**Poll question: One of Mario's friends is going to die. Who is it?**

**Luigi**

**Kaya-wait, she's not a friend!**

**I don't know.**

**Daisy the Elder**

**Daisy**

**Crystal**

**Mario himself**

**Sakura**

**Peach**

**Mario the Elder**

**Aaron-wait, he's not a friend!**

**Luigi the Elder**

**YOU LIE.**

**I don't want any of them to die! *cries dramatically***

**Peach the Elder**


	7. I Can't Do This to Her

**Chapter 6**

I Can't Do This to Her

**This is personally one of my favourite chapters. I think it's sad, but knowing me, it's probably not. XD**

**Sooooooo, um, thanks to those that have REVIEWED!**

**Zora Princess—O.O TOO MANY WORDS. But XD I think I get it. Yay, I'm glad this is one of your favourite stories! ^^**

**Marshmallow452—I applaud you for trying those. I don't even attempt. XD And Kuzzle has a ceiling fan because I want him to have a ceiling fan! Luigi's not **_**that **_**terrible of an uncle; he didn't know! …Wait, there was a reference? O.O …*thinks* OH YOU MEAN TATANGA! *epic facepalm* Really? You teared up? Man, you'll be in waterworks when the story is over. (I hope. MWAHAHA!) I DID TELL YOU IN A PM. FIGURE IT OUT. (XD) And you could be correct…**

**Detective 51—(first review) XD no it is not. And thank you! :) (second review) I know, XD I was walking around in Target and I thought to myself, **_**They should have CHILDREN! **_**So here we are. XD (third review) . . . I'm not saying whether you're right or wrong because people might not want spoilers. . . but I WILL say that you were right when you said that it'll be sad! OWO (fourth review) O_O YAY! (fifth review O_O) Sorry, but I'm not accepting OC's from everyone…just from the person who won the contest. ): I'm sorry if that sounded rude…**

**So on with teh story!**

* * *

Daisy burst into tears. "LUIGI!"

Mario was just sitting on the ground, stunned. "…He saved me…"

Peach nodded, barely keeping her composure. "Yes, Mario, he did."

Sakura had tears sliding down her cheeks, while Toadiko had her head buried in Toadbert's shoulder. Crystal was in full break-down mode, like Daisy. Jack seemed to be the only one unaffected by this.

"Relax, geez," he muttered, his eyes like stone.

Daisy glared at him. "Why should I?" she spat. "My boyfriend has been kidnapped, along with our future selves!"

"Future selves? You mean you're from the past?"

"YES!"

"Well, if there's a future Luigi that obviously means that the Luigi from the past survives."

Daisy calmed down slightly. "Yes, Jack, you're right."

"Gosh, I hope he doesn't get hurt." Crystal sniffled unhappily. "He was my most favourite uncle!"

The hardness in Jack's eyes vanished, and he wrapped her inside a hug. "Don't worry; he won't."

Crystal looked extremely surprised. Then she pulled away. "Thanks."

Daisy cleared her throat. "I hate to interrupt you little love birds, but the Doomship is getting away. We have to try and keep up!"

Sakura nodded. "She's right! C'mon, guys! _Including _you, Jack; you were a huge help." She grinned at him.

They nodded agreement. Crystal took control of Sakura's wheelchair, and the group ran after the airship and into Dimble Woods.

...

Meanwhile, Aaron was having a terrible flashback.

* * *

_Seven years ago, in an old Toad house, six-year-old Kaya was playing with dolls on the floor. Her twin, Aaron, was putting one-year-old Sakura in her crib for a nap. Suddenly, the earth shook._

_Kaya looked up. "What was that?"_

_The earth shook again. The house began to tremble. Aaron took his sister's hand. "Come on, Kaya! Hurry!" They fled the house, barely making it out before it collapsed with one last shake. Instantly a baby's screaming echoed. Aaron froze. He'd forgotten Sakura!_

"_Peach!" he shouted frantically; they lived right beside her castle. Instantly she came running out, followed by Mario, who was carrying a sleeping three-year-old Crystal. Luigi and Daisy followed quickly._

"_Aaron? What's wrong?" Peach asked anxiously, inspecting the young twins. "You both seem to be all right…"_

"_We are," he assured her, "but Sakura isn't. She's trapped under the house!"_

_Peach gasped and took Crystal from Mario. "Mario, Luigi, get her out!"_

_The brothers nodded and began to toss aside the bricks, looking for Sakura. Kaya and Aaron watched them, their eyes widening. "Wow…" Aaron murmured. "They're so strong!"_

_Daisy smiled at her son. "Of course they are! They have to have been strong to be able to cope with you."_

"_Hey! I'm _very _copeable-ish!" Aaron argued. Daisy smiled slightly at his innocence._

_Finally Luigi pulled out the small, wailing baby. "She needs to be taken to Doctor Toadley NOW."_

_Mario took Sakura and stroked her hair. "Shh…"_

_Instantly the baby girl fell asleep. "It works with Crystal all the time." Mario bit his lip. "Let's go."_

_The next thing Aaron knew, Doctor Toadley was telling them, "I'm so sorry, but her spine was crushed. She'll never be able to use her legs. She's paralyzed from the waist down."_

* * *

"Aaron!" Kaya was standing above him with concern. "Are you okay?"

He took a deep breath. Sitting up in his bed, he nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

She sat beside him. "Anything ya wanna talk about?"

He sat up. "I can't betray Sakura," he blurted. "I promised myself I would take care of her. It was my fault that she became paralyzed."

Kaya cast him a sympathetic smile. "I know you can't; you're too close to her. And it's _not _your fault—you saved me."

"What should I do?"

"…I don't know. But I'm staying here. You remember why we even joined?"

"Of course: so we could gather enough money for the orphans."

"And I'm gonna stay here and get it, no matter what."

Aaron sighed. "I can't leave you, so I'm staying, too."

Kaya suddenly began to cry. "I can't believe they made us lock our dad in the Room of Insanity, even if he is from the past and not really our father yet!"

Aaron hugged her. "Hey, it's okay…"

"But it's _not, _Aaron! Everyone who gets locked in that cursed room goes crazy. D-Daddy will never be the same again!" she whimpered.

"…I know…"

* * *

**MWAHAHA! I left you with a cliffy!**

—**RANDOMNESS— I'm not on Team Jacob. I'm not on Team Edward. WHOSE TEAM AM I ON? TEAM…**

**Guess whose team I'm on! If you win I'll give you any kind of plushie that you want. *very fast voice* Warning: It is not the responsibility of Hawk of the Cherrywood Vines to give you a new plushie if yours explodes, comes to life, or turns into a ****(insert your name here)****-eating zombie. EVEN WITH INSURANCE YOU WILL NOT GET A NEW ONE.**

**So guess! And it's not my fault! :P**

**Oh, and if it's not possible to become paralyzed after getting your legs crushed as an infant, THIS IS FICTION. I DON'T CARE, and I'm _not _a medical person, so I don't know these things. Please, don't blame me.**


	8. Treasure?

**Chapter 7**

Treasure?

**:P I know I said that I was going to use an OC, but since ImSpidey2 didn't have an OC to submit and since I've pretty much planned the rest of the story, I'm not going to use another one. Sorry about that. :(**

**Now, thanks to the following for reviewing! It means a lot to me. :)**

**Detective 51—Good! XD Silver would KILL me if her OC (Kaya) wasn't likeable, lol.**

**ImSpidey2—Wait that was funny? O_O and thanks!**

**Wafflegirl0304—Thanks! :D**

**Marshmallow452—Eh it's fine. XXD and thank you!**

**Now that I have the responses out of the way, let's start the next chapter! :)**

* * *

Mario was still soaking wet.

"Mario?" Peach glanced at him as they entered Dimble Woods. "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah," he answered, his teeth chattering. "I'm f-fine."

Peach shook her head at the others. "We need to find shelter so Mario can rest!"

"I'm fine!" he protested. She glared at him and automatically began fussing over him.

Jack grinned at Sakura. In his old ratty clothes, he looked pretty handsome. "Do they _always _do this?"

"They love each other to death," she admitted. "Oh, and I don't believe I introduced myself. I'm Sakura, the brains of the group."

He froze. "S-Sakura?"

"Yeah." She suddenly looked confused. "What? What's wrong with that?"

"U-Um…n-nothing! You, the brains? I thought that _Luigi _was the brains."

"Usually he is. But since he's not here, I'm second-in-command."

"Oh…" Jack looked deeply worried.

Suddenly Toadbert screamed, "Sakura, look out!"

The young, paralyzed girl whirled herself around to see a huge tree with gnarled roots standing above her, casting a shadow over her and the wheelchair she was in. She gasped and looked downwards, trying frantically to fish her sword out of her pocket. "It's a Treevil!" Toadiko gasped with terror, dashing behind her brother.

Before the monster could strike at Sakura, Jack leapt in front of her, drawing his sword and slashing frantically. Everyone gaped with surprise—even Sakura herself, who had pulled out her sword. She got in on the fight, and the Treevil was shredded.

Mario gaped. "I thought you weren't good with a sword, or a slingshot!"

"I lied. I didn't trust you yet." Sakura shrugged, put up the sword, and grinned at Jack. "Thanks!"

"Uhhhhh, no problem." He looked extremely embarrassed.

Sakura suddenly stiffened and looked at the trees. "…What's that?"

"Um, that would be a tree." Toadiko inspected her. "You okay?"

She shook her head. "I thought I saw something. Must've been a trick of the light."

"Most likely," Jack agreed, but he looked nervous for some reason. "C'mon, let's keep going. We're gonna lose the Doomship!"

"Yeah!" Crystal shouted, already taking off. "C'mon, let's go! It's heading towards Bowser's Castle!"

Mario shivered. "G-Great, just what I needed. Another f-fight with B-Bowser."

Jack slipped off his cape and handed it to him. "Here, put this around you—since it's black, it'll absorb more heat."

He slipped it around himself, nodding thanks to Jack. Sakura glanced up at him suspiciously. "You weren't wearing a cape a little while ago."

Panic flashed across Jack's face. "Y-Yeah I was."

"And hey! You're wearing a tuxedo now." It was true; Jack's dirty clothes had been replaced when clean ones.

Toadbert shot her a funny look. "What? He's been wearing a tuxedo the whole time."

The others murmured agreement. Sakura glared up at Jack as he took control of her wheelchair. "I don't trust you. I don't _like _you."

"You shouldn't," he said mysteriously. "You'd be as dumb as the rest of them."

* * *

Bowser the Younger grinned as they landed by his future castle; it looked exactly the same as his old one, only a bit nicer, and _it was floating._

"BWAHAHAHA!" Bowser the Younger cackled, turning to his elder self. "What, did you win the lottery?!"

"That doesn't matter." Bowser 6.7 looked away. "Kaya, you're sure they will come here?"

For some reason, she looked scared. "Y-Yes, my lord. They will come."

"They do not know about the cherry blossoms?"

"N-No, my lord. They have no clue whatsoever—nor do we, sadly."

"I hope Jack doesn't blow it," Aaron snarled, stepping beside his sister. "He's the _only _one that knows, and he won't tell us."

"He'd better not blow it," Bowser the Younger agreed. "Hey. Old me. What exactly _is _this legendary treasure that you came back in time to tell me about?"

Bowser 6.7 bowed his head. "Surely something that will help you conquer this world; if used correctly, it will destroy _everything."_

"Is it the Chaos Heart?"

"No."

"Star Rod?"

"No."

"The crystal stars?"

"NO."

"…WHAT IS IT?!"

"Find the cherry blossoms. They will tell you."

Bowser the Younger growled. "I want to know TOMORROW." He jumped off the Doomship and inside the castle. "Old me, PARK THIS THING!"

Kaya rolled her eyes. "Wow." She jumped after him, holding Aaron's hand.

Bowser 6.7 smiled darkly. "You young fools."

* * *

**I'm sorry it was so short. ):**

**I am on TEAM USA! Since no one guessed it correctly, no one gets a plushie. I will ask an EASIER question:**

**What is ONE story that I am working on? Everyone who gets one right will get a plushie of their choice. (:**

**You can make more than one guess as well. The more you get right, the more plushies! (the most plushies you can have is three, because I'm working on three stories).**


	9. Status Report

**Chapter 8**

Status Report

**Okay, let me get this over with:**

**My dad just got in a wreck and I'm really not in the mood to do anything except mope. And cry. (He's okay, but it was scary.) But I feel like I should update this story really quick.**

**I will hand the plushies out next chapter as I am seriously not motivated to be happy. I'm just not.**

**So this chapter will be very short and I apologize for that.**

**Please, find it in your hearts to forgive me.**

* * *

"Any insight on this 'cherry blossoms' person?"

Kaya had just plopped onto Aaron's bed. He looked miserable.

She gazed at him questioningly. "Are you okay?"

"…No. I'm really not."

"What's wrong?"

"I…I can't do this! I JUST CAN'T!" he screamed.

Kaya rubbed his back. "H-Hey, it's okay. What are you worried about?"

"D-Dad."

"I…I'm sure Luigi will be fine."

Bowser the Younger stuck his head in. "What are you youngsters talking about?!"

"…Um—" Kaya started.

"Never mind that. Give me a status report!"

"We…we've discovered nothing, sir—"

"Not about THAT! I mean about Mario! Dur!"

"Well, my lord, Jack has found him and—"

"Has he fooled them?"

"I believe so, but—"

"BWAHAHA! Excellent work, Kaya!" He stomped out.

Kaya rolled her eyes. "Aaron, are you sure you're okay?"

He shakily nodded. "Just…leave me alone."

She blinked, then hurried out of his room, slamming the door. Aaron sighed and buried his head in his pillow. "I'm…I'm not worried. I'm…scared…"

* * *

**So sorry about it being short…**

…**But like I said, I am just…really not in the mood, but I updated because I knew you guys were waiting, so…**

**Bye…**


	10. It's Coming

**Chapter 9**

It's Coming

**Hi guys! XD sorry, I will not be responding to reviews. I just don't feel like it.**

**By the way, thanks for all of you that have been reading! Even if you haven't reviewed (I know who y'all are! …I think.) But thanks for even reading!**

**Oh, and my dad is okay. Thanks for reviewing about him last chapter!**

**So let's get on with the story! :)**

* * *

Mario and company approached the castle. "…Is it just me, or can you just hear a creepy video game song playing?" Crystal asked nervously. "Like…the Stone Tower Temple theme?"

Everyone stared at her.

"Um…I'm guessing it's just me?"

Everyone nodded. Jack sighed and bit his lip. "We have to be careful. Bowser's minions will be everywhere. …Why are we even here?"

"We have to save Luigi," Daisy snapped. "Plus, we have to stop Bowser and save our older selves. Wherever the heck they are."

"I bet they're in the holding room!" Peach said eagerly. "I can take you anywhere here!"

"Have you been kidnapped THAT many times?" Mario wondered curiously. "Huh, I guess you have…"

"Ha ha. Who would still be here if it weren't for me and my kick butt umbrella Perry?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Shut up. Let's go inside."

Suddenly Kaya stepped out, a huge smirk on her face. "Sorry, can't let ya do that."

Aaron joined her. "Your journey ends here."

Mario blinked. "Who're you guys?"

Aaron's eyes met his, and he seemed to freeze up for a moment. Kaya stepped up, looking a bit unnerved. "Our names don't matter."

Jack gulped and stepped forward. "I…I cannot let you lay your hands on the cherry blossom! Not her! Anyone but!"

Kaya's eyes narrowed. "Are you a traitor?"

"I never worked for you!"

Aaron gasped. "Wh…What?!"

Kaya grabbed her brother's arm and dragged him off. "C'mon, it doesn't matter right now! They'll either get caught by some other guards or get lost. We have to report this to Lord Bowser!" They ran.

Sakura stared at Jack. "What was that all about?"

"Nothing," he snapped. "C'mon, let's head to the throne room."

Toadiko nodded. "Toadbert, you scared?"

Toadbert shook his head, but he was obviously lying. "Let's just get this over with," he squeaked.

* * *

"So…Jack has betrayed us." Bowser the Younger's eyes narrowed. "Excellent, Kaya. I mean, not excellent, but…ah, you get it! Prepare the Doomship. Tell all troops to move it or lose it! I need that ship prepared in five minutes."

"Yes, my lord." Kaya and Aaron rushed off.

Bowser 6.7 seemed to smile at his younger self. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"It's an evil idea, obviously! Why would it be GOOD?"

"…That was so stupid that I'm not even going to try and help you…What I meant was, is this smart?"

"I dunno."

"…"

Mario and the others burst in. "BOWSER!" Crystal screamed, stepping forward. Tears welled in her eyes. "You destroyed my home and injured my people! You kidnapped my relatives! I will _not _stand for this!"

Bowser 6.7 stared at her. "…Did she just take her responsibilities as a princess seriously?"

Crystal blinked. "That. Was. Rare. Do you understand? That does NOT leave this room."

"But GUESS WHAT DOES?" Bowser the Younger said, darting. "US! IN OUR EPICAL DOOMSHIP! BWAHAHAHA!"

Toadbert blinked. "…Is it just me or is this waaaay too random?"

Bowser 6.7 facepalmed. "I apologize. Now, please remain quiet as I reveal my evil plan to you!"

Toadiko sighed. "Don't we at least get popcorn? This'll be boring!"

"Now, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted…we are flying the Doomship to Toad Town. There will be a war there, and at least one of your demises." He hobbled after Bowser the Younger.

Mario stared. "…We have to walk ALL THE WAY BACK TO TOAD TOWN?"

Daisy laughed. "Ha ha, Mario, this just sucks for you, doesn't it?"

"It'll give him a chance to lose some weight!" Peach said, fussing over Mario and walking all around him and poking his stomach.

Mario glared. "I. Get it."

Crystal blinked. "I hope I'm not like you when I get old."

Sakura strummed her fingers impatiently. "Can't we just GO?"

"Yes, please." Mario walked past her.

Peach and Daisy giggled and ran behind him. Crystal stared. "…How can they be so cheerful?" She followed.

Jack sighed. "…I don't understand, either."

* * *

**I'm sorry this was short. DX**

**And apparently Mario can't just think of sneaking on board the Doomship…XD**

**By the way, today is 9/11. Today is the day that my home country was attacked by terrorists by four airplanes; three of them were successful, but the fourth was brought down by the crew of Flight 93. If they hadn't done anything, the White House would have been destroyed.**

**Many Americans died that day from these attacks. May these brave souls rest in peace.**


	11. Cherry Blossoms Always Fly Away

**Chapter 10**

Cherry Blossoms Always Fly Away

**Hey, guys! ^^**

**Guess what? I'm sick! WOOHOO!**

**And on a weekend! Not on a school day, but a WEEKEND! YES I AM SO LUCKY!**

**XD since I am sick, I think I'm gonna be able to double update this and Dear FFN. Y'know…since I'm doing sick person things.**

**I do have one review response:**

**TheShadowGirl2—the contest has ended, sorry ): I guess I didn't officially say that. But yes, it's over. Sorry…I feel like such a jerk now DX**

**Oh well…if you read the chapter title, you know that THIS IS THE CHAPTER WHERE THE CHERRY BLOSSOMS IS REVEALED! WOOOOOO! I already know that some of my reviewers know who it is (aka Blossom the Cellist, Detective 51, and Lemmy Koopa is Awesome) to name a few, but some of y'all didn't look it up on Google translate or play the piece that I named the cherry blossoms after on the piano! So LET'S START!**

…**WAIT, DISCLAIMER!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Princess Daisy, Toadbert, Toadiko, Kuzzle, Plack Beach, Dimble Woods, Treevils, Bowser, Bowser's Castle, Toad Town, the Doomship, or any other Nintendo properties that I may have mentioned. Silver the 13****th**** owns Kaya and Marshmallow452 owns Bowser 6.7.**

**Claimer: I DO own Crystal, Jack, Fake Kuzzle, Elder Mario, Elder Luigi, Elder Daisy, Elder Peach, and Aaron. OH YEAH, AND I OWN SAKURA TOO! Hope I didn't forget anyone...**

**WARNING: This chapter may be kind of scary/sad.**

* * *

They were walking in Dimble Woods when Sakura said, "I see it again."

"See what?" asked Toadbert.

"That…thing…on the tree!"

"What thing?"

She sighed and adjusted her glasses. "Nothing. But you know what? I…I wish this had never happened. I wanna fly away from everything."

"Fly away?" Jack asked curiously. "What do you mean by that?"

"I…I wanna live somewhere where I won't be judged by my wheelchair. I wanna live somewhere where I can be useful. Y'know. Fly away."

"…Um, I guess."

The group shortly arrived at Toad Town. Bowser 6.7 hobbled over to them. "Well, look who showed up!"

Crystal gaped. "D-Daddy! Daddy, look! What've they done to Toad Town?!"

Mario looked around. All of the bright, colourful buildings had been blasted down. What structures remained had been painted a nauseous colour brown. Many citizens were hiding inside the broken-down church.

Princess Peach stood forward. "What have you done?! And where's Luigi?"

Bowser 6.7 laughed hoarsely. "He's—"

"I SAID WHERE THE HECK IS HE." She pressed her face up into his. Bowser 6.7 froze. "Um, he's in the Doomship. In the Room of Insanity."

"The Room of Insanity?" Daisy echoed. "WHERE'S THAT, PUNK?!"

"LIKE I SAID BEFORE, IT'S ON THE DOOMSHIP! Now stop this yelling! My blood pressure's already high…"

Crystal rolled her eyes with anger and marched past him, others in tow. They boarded the grounded Doomship and began to do a perimeter sweep, making sure they weren't caught.

Toadiko suddenly gasped. "Come here!"

The group ran over to her. "I found it!" she announced, pointing at a door. She opened it.

Luigi looked terrible. He was in a fetal position and rocking back and forth, crying silently into his knees. Mario and Daisy stared at him, terrified. "…Luigi?" Princess Peach called softly.

Luigi looked up. His face was pale, and he trembling. "Get away!" he shrieked, grabbing his knees and continuing to rock back and forth. "E-Evil c-creatures!"

Mario looked beyond baffled. "H-Holy…"

Daisy tried to bite back her tears. "Mario, they must have tortured him." She bent beside Luigi and rubbed his back. "He's confused. They probably sent in illusions of us; he must think we're one of those. Go and stop Bowser; I'll stay here with him. We'll join the battle when he's ready, okay? Go and kick some butt for me." She smiled through her tears.

Mario took a deep breath, but didn't dare argue. "…Guys, let's go murder everyone that did this to Luigi."

Everyone stared at him. "Well?" he said. "Let's go!"

Crystal looked down, tears bright. "Yeah. They're gonna pay for what they did to him."

* * *

Mario, Toadbert, Toadiko, Peach, Crystal, Jack, and Sakura, being wheeled in by Jack, emerged into a dusty clearing. Bowser the Younger, Bowser 6.7, Kaya, and Aaron loomed ahead, many troops on either side. Mario clenched a fist a stepped forward. "YOU WILL PAY!" he yelled. "You made my brother go insane! I'm not even sure if he's gonna be okay or not!"

Bowser 6.7 grinned. "How naïve. You DO realize that you will not win without the aid of the cherry blossoms?"

Crystal stepped beside her father. "We can kick your butt with or without some stupid cherries!" She murmured to her father, "Don't you remember Kuzzle mentioning something about that?"

Mario had a mini flashback:

_Peach looked at him [Kuzzle] suspiciously. "What symbol?"_

_"You haven't heard of it? Only _one person_can see it. What lies behind it is a secret, but it is rumoured an all-powerful weapon; whoever finds this treasure will determine the fate of the Mushroom Kingdom. It was sealed somewhere close by five years ago; yet it is rumoured to be ancient, at least two or three hundred years old. How is that possible…?"_

_"So __that's __why Bowser came to the future," Luigi muttered. "But how did he know that there was even a treasure? Who's the person that can see the symbol? What __is __the symbol?"_

_"No one knows. I did record the only clue to the person who can see the symbol in a book, but I sealed it behind a different symbol—a heart no bigger than your thumb. I can faintly recall what is says: 'Only the cherry blossoms can see the symbol,'" Kuzzle confirmed._

_"So we have to find the cherry blossoms," Sakura decided. "But we have no idea where he or she is."_

_"Correct!" Kuzzle exclaimed._

Mario's eyes widened. "Oh holy…Sakura, you're wrong. We have an _excellent _idea of where she is."

Sakura stared at him. "Huh? What am I wrong about?"

"Sakura…do you speak Japanese?"

"Yes, I do. Why?"

"Tell me what cherry blossoms means in Japanese."

"Cherry blossoms…" She thought for a moment. "That means…" Her eyes widened with realization. "…That means…Sakura."

Crystal stared at her. "YOU'RE the cherry blossoms!"

Jack smiled. "I knew it…sis."

Sakura stared at him. "Did you just call me…?"

"Yes…a long time ago, I had a baby sister named Sakura. I knew she was special, but I didn't know how. And then, a few days after her birth, she got lost. I didn't know where she had gone. I was recently hired by Bowser as a minion; thinking it to be an excellent opportunity to look for my sister, I accepted. But when I posed as Kuzzle and—"

"Wait, that was you?" Princess Peach's eyes widened.

He nodded. "Heh, um, sorry bout that…anyway, I recognized you, Sakura. I also knew that you were the one that could see the symbol. That thing you saw on the tree in Dimble Woods was _not _a trick of the light."

"It's the key to our success!" Sakura finished. "I've _got _to get back there and find it!"

"You'll never make it on your own…" Jack shook his head. "And we don't have time to go back with you. The final battle is starting NOW."

Bowser the Younger cackled. "She's doomed."

Toadiko ran to her. "Me and Toadbert will take her!"

"We…we will?!" Toadbert stared at his sister.

"Yeah! What use would we be in battle? We don't know how to fight; we'd just be a huge burden! But by taking Sakura to the symbol…"

"Are you sure?" Peach asked.

The Toads nodded.

"…Then hurry. Quickly!"

Each Toad grabbed a handle of Sakura's wheelchair and took off at a speed so fast that Sakura nearly fell off her seat. Mario faced Bowser the Younger. "I think it's time we settled this, once and for all."

He ran forward and attacked.

* * *

**DRAMA! XD**

**I'm sorry if I called Jack "Jake"…I get those names confused sometimes. XD**

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter! :)**


	12. Sacrifices

**Chapter 11**

Sacrifices

**D: this is gonna be a really sad chapter. I can just feel it.**

**And if you guys get confused, you can just go back and re-read the whole story if you have to, because I know I haven't updated in forever. Sorry.**

**I have BACKGROUND MUSIC for this whole chapter, if you wanna play it while reading! It'll make this feel really emotional. Go on YouTube and type in "Space Junk Galaxy Extended".**

**Sorry if this chapter is scary/sad.**

* * *

Mario was largely outnumbered, and he knew it.

Bowser had maybe one hundred troops fighting at his side; though they could be beaten quickly, it would be just as easy to get overwhelmed by them.

Toadbert and Toadiko had run off with Sakura, and Daisy was staying with Luigi to hopefully restore his mental health, so that didn't leave Mario many options. After his attack missed Bowser the Younger, he ran back to stand with his friends. He inspected them.

Princess Peach would not be much assistance. All she had was an umbrella, and even that was barely powerful enough to injure a Goomba, which was saying something. It would be easy for her to get overpowered.

Jack was a strong seventeen-year-old boy. He formed a sword from nowhere, and though he appeared scrawny, Mario knew that he was used to being a leader. Jack had been on Bowser's side before, so he knew the troops well enough and would know their attack style. Jack looked very confident in himself, but Mario could see the fear in his eyes. That was good. You couldn't be strong without a little fear.

And his last ally: his daughter, Crystal. She couldn't fight. He had to get her to safety. For one, she was only ten, and was too young to get involved in this. Second, she had no weapon, and there was no way that Mario was going to let her use her fists against Bowser.

On the other side, Aaron was doing the same. He scanned his fellow troops.

The Goombas and Koopas were jokes. He might as well skip over them.

Bowser 6.7 was very old, but Aaron could tell that he had much more power than anyone else did. The old Koopa did not seem very afraid at all; knowing him, he was planning this out like he was planning a game of chess.

Bowser the Younger, on the other hand, was not. He would play this game recklessly and just attack randomly. That was why he always lost.

And his sister. There was no way Aaron would let her fight. She may have claimed to be tough enough to do this, but Aaron knew that if she was facing against any of them, she would freeze up, and she would most likely be killed.

Aaron had a feeling that something was going to happen to Crystal. He wasn't sure what, but he could just feel it. And it would have to do with him.

Mario suddenly caught Aaron's gaze. The two seemed to make a silent agreement: _We run when this battle starts._

Bowser the Younger roared. The Koopas and Goombas moved out, and the battle officially began.

Mario grabbed Crystal's hand and took off. She gasped. "What the—?"

He led her behind one of the ruined buildings. "You're staying here," Mario ordered.

"But why?" Crystal whined. "I can fight! I really can! I can go all KA-BOOM and KA-CHOW!"

"I'm sure you can," said Mario through clenched teeth, "but this is neither the time nor the place. You're to stay here, and that's final, young lady!" He darted off.

She groaned. Suddenly Aaron and Kaya burst in. Crystal gasped.

"Stay here, Kaya! I…I don't want you to get hurt," Aaron apologized.

His sister stared at him. "You're kidding."

"Do I _look _like I'm kidding?! Stay here! And I mean it!" Aaron took off.

Kaya rolled her eyes. "Whatever…" She suddenly noticed Crystal.

Crystal gulped. "Are…are you gonna hurt me?"

"…No. Not yet." Kaya pinned the young girl to the wall. "Only when the time is right."

* * *

In the forest, Sakura was looking around desperately. Toadiko and Toadbert were pushing her as fast as they could. And then the young girl saw it: a glowing symbol in the shape of a heart. "Stop!" she yelled, cleaning her glasses on her shirt just to make sure she saw it correctly. She did. "It's here! Right here!"

The Toads stopped pushing the chair. "Where?!" Toadiko demanded.

"Here!" Sakura reached out and touched the symbol. To her surprise, the tree trunk opened, revealing two figures frozen in ice. How they had even fit inside that tree, and how the ice hadn't melted, Sakura didn't know. She just stared in shock at the two girls encased in ice.

Toadiko gasped. "No way…Toadbert, how is this _possible?!"_

"Don't look at me!" Toadbert put his hands up. "Just because I'm the genius doesn't mean I know everything!"

Toadiko rolled her eyes and managed to drag the blocks of ice out.

The ice melted almost instantly. The younger of the girls, who might've been around ten or eleven, groaned. "What…what happened?"

Toadbert grinned. "Nice to see you again, Candy."

The girl, Candy, sat upright. "T-Toadbert?! Toadiko?! Violet! Violet, get up!"

The woman, wearing a long, violet dress, sat up. "Oh my word…!"

"You're in the future," Toadiko explained. "And we're in the future too."

Sakura just looked lost.

Toadbert turned to her. "Candy and Violet are friends," he assured her. "I promise, they wouldn't hurt you for the world."

Candy didn't look sure either. "Um…who is _that?"_

"_That _can hear you," Sakura snapped. "I'm Sakura."

Violet's eyes widened. "That boy mentioned you right before everything went black!"

Sakura blinked. "Huh?"

"I had gone to Brooklyn to visit my daughter," Violet explained. "We were walking in an alleyway as a shortcut to her favourite arcade when we were suddenly cornered by a mysterious man dressed in black! It was quite unnerving. He said he had to do this for the future, and for Sakura. Then everything went black, and we woke up here!"

"…You _do _realize it's been about two hundred years," Toadiko said quietly.

Candy frowned. "Huh. Weird. _Any_way, what's up? Why do you guys look so freaked out?" She gripped the locket on her neck subconsciously, as did Violet. They looked like they could connect.

"Well, for one, Bowser and Mario are battling it out right now!" Toadiko said hurriedly. "And everyone else is in danger."

Candy tensed. "Mario? How far away are they?"

"Hopefully not too far!" Sakura exclaimed. "I want to get back to Toad Town so I can help."

Suddenly a shrill scream scorched the air. Violet froze. "That…that was Mario."

"C'mon!" Sakura rocked her wheelchair back and forth impatiently. "We HAVE to go NOW!"

Toadbert took off running with Sakura. Toadiko glanced at Violet and Candy. "I…I'm not sure why you're here, or how much of a help you guys will be. I just know that you'll either save us or destroy us." She ran after her brother.

Violet and Candy exchanged questioning looks, but ran after the trio.

* * *

The Koopas and Goombas had all been squished or kicked off. Peach's dress was torn; Jack was bleeding slightly; and Mario was panting with exhaustion. "G…Give up, B-Bowser?" he asked, sweat trickling down his forehead.

Bowser 6.7 cackled. "Nuh-uh! Kaya, come here. Now!"

Kaya skipped out, dragging Crystal. Mario gasped and ran forward, only to be dragged back by a few sneaky Shy Guys that had been hiding. He screamed and kicked, but it was no use. It was like they were made of iron.

Peach and Jack had been restrained as well, also struggling. Bowser the Younger laughed. "GWAHAHA! Mario, watch your own daughter die before your eyes." He handcuffed Crystal, who had finally stopped protesting.

Was it just Mario, or did Aaron look terrified? The horror on the teenage boy's face cleared in two seconds, and he stepped forward. "Lord Bowser, what demise do you have planned for her?" he asked smoothly.

Bowser 6.7's eyes narrowed; he obviously would know what would happen, as he had lived through this once before. "Young Master, please don't trust this boy with—"

Bowser the Younger ignored his older self. "Poison!" he exclaimed triumphantly. "And, Aaron, I'll let you do the honours." He handed him a vile-looking with poisonous liquid inside of it and a needle.

At this Mario struggled even more violently. Aaron dipped his head respectfully and took the test tube, connecting the needle to it. He walked over to Crystal ever so slowly.

The truth was, Aaron was terrified. Mortally terrified. How could someone be this cruel?

He walked over to her. Crystal was sobbing. "Don't worry," he murmured in her ear, as smoothly as he could manage. "Just go to sleep…" He stuck her with the needle and squeezed it just a little.

Crystal's eyes rolled to the back of her head, and she collapsed. Aaron quickly dropped the bottle of liquid—too quickly, as if hiding something. "Oops," he said innocently.

Mario's horrified scream broke the unnerving silence.

* * *

**OH NOES! CRYSTAL DIED!**

**I've actually known that this was gonna happen since the beginning of the story. See, I got the idea from this really awesome dream that I had! :D I LOVE DREAMS!**

**So I hope you enjoyed this chapter…well, as much as you could anyway…**


	13. Death of a Warrior

**Chapter 12**

Death of a Warrior

* * *

**D'awww, it's gonna be hard for me to write this chapter…):**

**But I gotta write it anyway! I was surprised so many of y'all liked Crystal…**

**Thanks for reviewing!**

**ImSpidey2—yup :D**

**Blossom the Cellist—O_O you killed my OC?**

**Detective 51—maaaaaaybe. I think you're gonna change your mind on Aaron this chapter.**

**Marshmallow452—I know :(. But you're gonna be even sadder than this chapter.**

**Pandamonium—…You're absolutely right! D: I didn't think anyone would guess. THANK YOU FOR PICKING UP MY FORESHADOWING!**

**All Aaron and Kaya haters, YOU'RE ABOUT TO GET YOUR MIND BLOWN.**

**MEANING YOU WON'T HATE THEM ANYMORE HOPEFULLY! :D**

**Also, I made a mistake. In a different chapter I said that Jack was ten, and last chapter I said he was seventeen. I'm going to confirm that he is indeed seventeen.**

**I also foreshadowed that Violet and Candy were going to appear waaaay back in chapter 2 in the author's note! Go look and shame yourself for not guessing/thinking it was weird!**

**This chapter is extremely sad, I must warn you, and it will probably be really breathtaking…for one boy in particular.**

* * *

Luigi and Daisy shot in. "Mario?! What's wrong?!"

Mario was so upset that he didn't even act excited about Luigi. "Crystal…she…" He whimpered.

Luigi followed his gaze. He froze. "…Oh my…I'm so sorry, Mario…"

The Shy Guys released Mario, Jack, and Peach. Peach was crying a river, of course, and even Jack looked a bit feverish. "Oh…nonono…NO!" he screamed at both Bowsers. "HOW COULD YOU KILL HER?!"

Bowser 6.7 smirked at Jack. "Do you _loooooove _her?"

"Of course not," the seventeen-year-old spat. "I…I just…" He shook his head. "You're gonna pay!"

Kaya looked as pale as a pillowcase. "L-Lord Bowser," she squeaked, "can't we talk out our battle strategy quickly?"

Bowser the Younger nodded. "TIME OUT!" he yelled, darting behind the abandoned church. He was met by dozens of screams from citizens. His allies joined him. Aaron had calmed down, a cool and confident look about him.

Luigi snorted. _"Time out? _What is he, five?"

Mario couldn't answer. He just stared at Crystal.

Jack put a hand on his shoulder. "Mario…" His voice cracked. "I understand how upset you are…but we need to fight." He brought out his signature sword from nowhere. "She'd want us to."

Mario gulped back tears and nodded. "Let's. Do this."

Suddenly Sakura's voice sounded: "Mario! Mario! Mario, are you okay?!"

"I'm fine!" he shouted back. Soon she, the Toads, and Candy and Violet burst into view.

Mario tensed and stared at the last two. "…Violet?! Candy?!"

"Mario!" Violet ran forward. "Oh my gosh, Mario!"

"We thought you were dead!" Candy hugged him.

Luigi stared at them, opened his mouth to say something, then decided not to and closed it. "He's not dead, but…"

Toadbert's gaze caught Crystal lying on the ground. His eyes widened.

Jack's attention had switched from Crystal to Violet and Candy. "Hello," said he. "I see we meet again."

Violet screamed and shoved Candy behind her. "IT'S YOU! YOU'RE THE PERSON THAT FROZE US!"

"What?!" Sakura wheeled herself around to face her brother. "Jack would never—"

"Actually, sis, they're completely right." Jack nodded to the girls. "I apologize for my actions. I'm just saving the future. Next time I'll do otherwise," he added sarcastically.

Candy grinned at him. "Hey, I like you! You're so much like ME!"

Violet rolled her eyes. "In case something is wrong with your mind, you'll remember that he tried to kill us."

"Nope, just saved the world," corrected Jack. "Well, YOU guys are gonna save the world, but I'm the one that brought you here, so technically I should get credit, too."

Sakura looked stunned. "What I don't understand is how you froze them."

Luigi facepalmed before Jack could even open his mouth. "Jack goes back in time," he said slowly. "Jack takes out freeze gun. Jack freezes girls!"

Sakura gasped and clapped sarcastically. "YESSS! THE WORLD MAKES SENSE NOW!"

Jack sighed. "But yes, Luigi's correct. I went back in time and froze them." He inspected Violet and Candy. "I also know exactly how they'll save our lives."

"Really?!" Candy squealed. "How?!"

Jack thought for a moment. "I can't tell you."

Violet's smile faded. "Why not?"

"You need to figure it out for yourself. Obviously the book—I mean, _I_ choose you for a reason. You must be smart. Something just spoke to me. I need you to figure out this part on your own."

"You are officially my new best friend." Candy high fived Jack, who gave her a weird look.

Mario suddenly froze. "Guys…they're coming back, and our Bowser is _mad."_

It was true. Bowser the Younger was dragging Aaron behind him, who looked terrified, and Bowser 6.7 was pinning a struggling and screaming Kaya to the abandoned church wall. Bowser the Younger had also confiscated Aaron's sword and held it in his grubby hands. Jack tensed. "Something's wrong. Something _big _is about to happen."

Suddenly something big _did _happen: Crystal sat up drowsily and yawned. "Gah…what happened?"

Everyone stared at her. Bowser the Younger roared triumphantly. "So the old me was right! You _are _a traitor, Aaron!"

"Of course I am," the thirteen-year-old snarled. "As soon as I was gonna get paid, I was gonna hopefully kill you to destroy the evil that you've brought here. Kaya was going to take the money and give it to the orphanage! To people who _deserve _it! I don't deserve it, and I know it."

Mario drew in a sharp breath. He knew he'd seen terror in Aaron's face!

Bowser the Younger growled. "How did you not destroy her?! I _saw _you enter the poison into her system! I _saw _it!"

Bowser 6.7 glared at him. "I tried to warn you earlier, but you ignored me. The boy entered some into her, yes, but not enough to kill her; only enough to knock her out."

Aaron whistled and clapped. "Look who won the prize of intelligence!"

Bowser the Younger looked furious. "You used me. You betrayed me. And now you must DIE!" He threw Aaron's sword at the young boy.

Time seemed to slow down. Kaya screamed, "NO!" Mario and the others watched in silent horror. Aaron himself had taken a few breaths, crossed his fingers, and was murmuring a prayer. He didn't look scared; if anything, he was at peace.

Bowser the Younger was, unfortunately, good at aiming. The sword struck Aaron's chest. The boy fell.

Time flowed normally. Kaya screamed and freed herself, running to her brother. "AARON! AARON!" She shook him repeatedly. "NO!"

Crystal stared with horror. "Oh. My. Gosh."

Kaya glared up at Bowser the Younger. "How could you?" she screamed at him.

He laughed. "You're next."

She shook her head, terror filling her eyes. "No way." She ran.

He snorted. "No matter. There's someone that can take her place…"

Jack turned to Violet and Candy. "I suggest you hurry up and figure this out. Otherwise, there's more gruesome deaths like that just BEGGING to happen."

Violet tensed. "Are you blaming his death on US?!"

"Of course not!" he said quickly. "I'm just saying…the reason you can save us should be pretty obvious." He looked at Violet's neck, then at Candy's.

The girls each gripped their lockets: a half a heart, which were meant to connect to each other. "Are you saying that we should connect these?" Candy asked.

Jack whistled. "I'm not saying anything."

Bowser 6.7 was suddenly there and whisked Jack around, shoving him towards Bowser the Younger. Bowser the Younger smacked Jack into the abandoned church wall so hard that it actually made a cracking noise. "You betrayed us as well," he growled. "You must die."

Sakura screamed. "JACK!"

Jack groaned. His eyes were filled with pain. "I…will never…die…to the likes of…_you."_

Bowser the Younger punched him. Another sickening crack was heard. "You don't get a say," he spat.

Candy's eyes widened. "Violet!" she shrieked. "We _have _to connect our lockets! We _have _to! Otherwise…_another _death will be our fault!"

"It was never our fault to begin with," Violet muttered, but she hurriedly connected both lockets, secretly liking Jack and not wanting him to die.

The sky darkened, and a huge laser beam fired out at Bowser the Younger. He screamed as he was hit, and he was sucked inside the laser. Bowser 6.7 was not so lucky. He was shocked by the laser beam and sent careening through the sky. Jack slumped against the abandoned church building.

Everyone automatically raced to him. "Jack?! Are you okay?!"

He gave a small nod, struggling to stand up. "I'm p-perfectly fine. What matters, though, is the fact that you guys did it. You saved us all."

Mario frowned. "Hey, I wasn't even the hero this time…"

Crystal pointed at him and laughed. "HAHA!"

A huge grin erupted onto his face. He rushed to his daughter.

"Excuse me," a quiet voice broke in. Kaya stepped out.

Mario stopped and stared at her. "You…You almost got my daughter killed!"

"I…I know…" She looked down, trying hard not to cry. "I know I did…and I made a mistake. A stupid one. If I really wanted to earn money for the orphans, I could've gotten it a different way."

"That's right," said Luigi. "You could've just asked your parents if you could donate! I'm sure they would've let you."

She looked up at him, eyes puffy and red from crying. "Dad…" She ran to him and hugged him. Luigi nearly fell over with surprise.

A huge grin engulfed Candy's face. "Awwwww, Luigi! You actually found a girl that would marry you?"

"Shut. Up." Luigi was also grinning, turning red from embarrassment. He stroked Kaya's hair. "Um…"

She looked up at him. "I've gotten your older selves out," she said, sniffling. "They were half starved, so I fed them. They took control of the Doomship and went towards the castle."

Daisy whistled, impressed. "Good job."

"Speaking of, we need to head there," Jack wheezed, leaning heavily on Sakura's wheelchair. "Elvin should be there already, and Mario, he's your ride home."

Mario nodded. "You're right." He looked up at the castle, which somehow had managed to not get destroyed. "Let's go."

And the group of twelve set off to Peach's Castle.

* * *

**This chapter was soooooo hard for me to write! Aaron was my second favourite character, and I really didn't want to kill him, but I knew that before this story ended I was going to have to.**

**Fun facts about this story:**

**I was recently going to combine this chapter and last chapter together, but I decided against it because I wanted to build up more suspense.**

**I've known since the beginning of the story about what was going to happen in these last two chapters. I actually had a dream about the plot, and I used it!**

**Jack is my favourite OC I've probably ever created. Like, EVER, in all six to seven years I've been writing.**

**Crystal is based off of a character in a RP that I'm in.**

**Aaron is also based off of a character in the same RP.**

**The hardest chapter for me to write was chapter 4, known as chapter 5 in the table of contents.**

**I decided to let every character have a "purpose". Mario's was to ensure that Luigi got kidnapped, which was a huge part in the story. Luigi's was to get kidnapped, Peach's was to ensure them going back in time, Daisy's was to…just be Daisy…Toadbert and Toadiko's was to take Sakura to find Candy and Violet, Candy and Violet's purpose should be obvious (as should Sakura's), Crystal's was to explain the situation of them being in the future and having sentimental value to Mario, Jack's was to be the mysterious character that every story needs, and Aaron and Kaya were there to be the loveable bad guys.**

**This is the longest chapter with approximately 2,028 words.**

**The idea with Candy and Violet's necklace came from Detective 51. Thank you!**

**That's a lot of stuff I had to tell you. XD**


	14. Wave Goodbye

**Chapter 13**

Wave Goodbye

**XD I bet you people thought I was never going to update lol.**

**I'm so sorry! Life caught up…and the reason I was able to update Dear FFN so much was because I had already prewritten the chapters. I have NOT prewritten these chapters.**

**I'm not sure if this is the last one, or if the next chapter is last…wait. XD if there's going to be another chapter, of course this isn't the last chapter. *facepalm***

**Okay, so, yeah! I'm going to make this chapter a bit short. However…on the next chapter isn't really going to be a **_**chapter; **_**more like an epilogue. And it'll be long, I promise. Plus, I'll tell y'all some awesome news that I'm very excited for in the epilogue! Thanks for tolerating with me.**

**Okay, so, let's start the stupid chapter before I bore you to death!**

* * *

Mario stepped inside the castle. "Professor?" he called.

He was rather surprised when a voice that sounded like his own sounded back: "Hold up, youngsters!"

Crystal tensed. "Daddy?" she shouted.

Mario the Elder toddled in, using his cane. "Thank you all for doing that hard work to save us," he wheezed. "Though it ended up being my niece that did so."

Mario the Younger blinked, a bit stung. "Um, okay."

Kaya turned away. "Does…does my father know…?"

"About Aaron?" Mario the Elder finished. "Yes, he knows. We all do. Kaya, you're a troubled girl, but you're incredibly brave for one so young. You took responsibility for your actions, and that takes guts."

Kaya looked a bit stunned. "Th-Thank you…"

"The other elders are asleep," Mario the Elder said. "Otherwise they would be out here. E. Gadd's on the top floor."

"How come there are only three floors here?" Peach asked curiously. "In our time, there are, like, two hundred…"

Mario the Elder looked amused. "The innocence of youth…you'll know one day. _That_ I can promise you."

Crystal ran forward. "Oh, Daddy!" she wailed. "I was so worried about you!"

Mario the Elder smiled and hugged his daughter comfortingly. "The younger me will be leaving soon; accompany him to E. Gadd. Then you will tell him goodbye."

Sakura nodded, her eyes full of sadness. "I wish they could stay…I felt _useful_. But I understand about you guys wanting to get home."

Jack took a deep breath. "Surprisingly, I'll miss you as well. I'll accompany you…and then I must get back to my normal life."

"Oh, no," Mario the Elder chided. "You are _not _going back to that little abandoned house you live in."

Sakura stared at her brother. "You live in an abandoned house?"

"Yeah, well, it's not that big of a deal." Jack turned away. "It's my home."

"Not anymore," Sakura said sternly. "You're gonna live with me!"

Jack looked at her from over his shoulder. "…Really? You'd let me live with you?"

"Of course, stupid head. You're my _brother! _You're living with me, and that's final!"

For a moment he just stared at her. Then he grinned. "I'd like that very much."

"Guys, c'mon!" Toadiko interrupted. "I HATE mushy stuff…and that's saying something, because I AM mushy!"

They murmured agreement. The group walked up the stairs—with Crystal helping Mario the Elder balance—and walked to the left. Mario the Younger glanced at his future daughter. "This is where I found you. Remember?"

She smiled. "Yeah. I seriously thought I was dead. Thanks for the help."

They entered the room where Professor E. Gadd was standing; to Mario the Younger's dismay, he looked exactly as the same as he did in the present. The professor laughed. "My, my, Mario! Haven't seen you since…but, well, I _do _see you every day…well…you get the point!"

Mario the Younger blinked. "U-Uh…y-yes, sir."

Mario the Elder chuckled. "Looks like I had manners back then."

Luigi smiled at Mario the Younger, who was turning red. "Hey, bro, you're getting embarrassed by yourself!" Luigi teased.

Daisy slugged Luigi. "Shut up."

"Y-Yes ma'am!"

There were two time machines waiting for them. Toadbert and Toadiko, after saying their goodbyes, walked into the machine on the right together. Daisy hugged everyone, said goodbye, and followed them in. They were soon on their way to the present.

Peach hugged Crystal tightly, kissed Mario the Elder's cheek lightly, and waved her goodbyes. She stepped inside the remaining time machine, waiting for the bros.

Luigi smiled. "I'll always remember you guys, okay?"

"Be sure to visit," Kaya said, her voice cracking.

His smile got bigger. "You know I will. I love you."

"L-Love you too…Dad."

He told Sakura and Jack goodbye, shook hands with Mario the Elder, and headed inside the time machine.

Mario the Younger honestly had no clue on why everyone was taking turns on leaving, but he figured it was his turn to shine. He first turned to Kaya. "Look…don't beat yourself up about Aaron. Promise me that, okay?"

She nodded bravely. "I…I promise."

Mario the Younger next turned to Jack. "Take care of your sister, okay?"

The teenager twirled his sword. "Got it. If anything touches her, I'll slice its head off."

Mario the Younger looked at Sakura. "You will _always _be useful. Okay?"

"Okay." She smiled.

Mario the Younger finally turned his gaze to Crystal. "…I love you so much. I'll come back."

"You'd better," Crystal said, trying to hide the tears in her eyes. "Or I'll come to you!"

With a final wave, Mario went into his time machine with Peach and Luigi.

"Ready?" the princess whispered.

Mario sighed. "…No. I'll miss them."

"So will I," Luigi said sadly. "But we'll see them again. I…I just have this feeling."

Then the time machine disappeared…and they were whisked to the present.

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**THIS TIME THERE WILL ACTUALLY BE AN EPILOGUE. XD I know I told you that in All the Way and I broke that promise, but this time there were actually be one. **_**I will **_**never **_**take this long to update! I promise!**_

**This story that I've written was hard for me to get into. At around chapter 5 or 6, I really wanted to quit. But I kept writing because I didn't want to disappoint y'all. I promised you I'd write a sequel, and heck, I wrote a sequel!**

**Just wait for the epilogue…I promise, it will come soon…I'll try to update it before my birthday, February 27th.**

**Also, I warned y'all that the chapter would be short. I'm terribly sorry. :(**


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